Zambia lifts ban on night driving for truckers to ease cargo movement

Zambia has lifted a ban on night driving for truckers, imposed to improve road safety, after mining companies in Africa’s number two copper producer said the decision had hit commercial activity, the government said on Wednesday.

The southern African nation last year banned night driving for public service vehicles, including buses and trucks in a bid to reduce the number of fatal road traffic accidents.

The number of vehicles on Zambia’s roads almost tripled to 700,000 in the 10 years to 2016, increasing road fatalities in the southern African nation, with more than 2,000 people dying last year alone, according to government statistics.

Transport Minister Brian Mushimba said the ban would remain in force for buses but that trucks, which also transport copper, the nation’s main export, would be allowed to move at night.

“We have separated the public transport from trucking business so that we can give an opportunity to the trucks that transport a lot of cargo to continue running 24 hours a day,” Mushimba said.

The Zambia Chamber of Mines, which represents foreign mining companies operating in Zambia, welcomed the lifting of the ban.

“The mining sector is obviously relieved that the measures… have been amended to reflect the reality of transporting essential industrial inputs and commodities on our roads,” Chamber of Mines President Nathan Chishimba said.